CARLOS POV
I remained close by as Fletcher tended to our kin. We had gotten dressed before coming out to the city square.
Being exposed wasn't something that annoyed me, but since everyone else was wearing clothing, I would have felt odd standing before them lightly clad.
I wore a pair of trousers with no shirt on, totally uncovering the brilliant tattoo on my right arm, going up to half of my chest. The tattoo of an olive growing on a vine gave my appearance another dimension.
Fletcher wore tight-fitting pants and a black leather jacket, leaving it half-open to flaunt his chest. He had rolled his sleeves up and stood still with his hands on his hips.
"This is really urgent, we need everyone's help. I'm pleading with you all to help me out on this. It will be for our own good."
His voice was brimming with conviction as he solicited men from the Belmont pack to accompany us to rescue the lady Logan held captive.
"We all know Logan is dangerous. But will we just let him be? Let's show him a bit of violence, shall we?"
I wasn't sure if Fletcher's request would be met with a warm reception from members of our pack. We all knew how deadly Logan could be, and no one dared to cross paths with him except the two of us.
Suddenly, I became relieved on seeing a lot of folks from our clan starting to agree with Fletcher—they understood that our mate must be liberated from Logan's grip.
The idea of having a mate was an unfamiliar one to me. I had spent forty years of life not finding anybody whom I wanted to call mine.
Then, I saw this lady, whose name I didn't know—tall and thin yet thrilling and perfectly shaped, with an exquisite face and long, dark hair falling like a cascade down her back—and I felt as though lightning had struck me.
For my entire life, there had been a vast opening in my heart, an imperative piece missing. Then suddenly, I knew she was what I had yearned for all this while.
I thought that if I made her mine, I would never again feel deficient.
Her look had plainly communicated all her trepidation when she had called out to Fletcher and me for help. Did she not feel the similar attraction we had? Hopefully, the moment we met again, she would acknowledge she actually was into us; there was something more to it than I'd ever imagine.
Fletcher had felt the force as well; the overwhelming inclination that we needed to mate with her. I was glad that we would be together as three individuals—a ménage à trois.
As far back as I could remember, Fletcher had always had my back. So, at the moment, having a third person to bond us, we would become closer. The idea made warmth spread in my chest. I cherished Fletcher as a sibling, and I was certain I would grow to adore our mate as well. I knew hardly anything about her, yet I truly revered her.
But first, we needed to protect her. Tension about her well-being was destroying me. My thoughts dashed with stress, making me anxious and near overreacting. Pictures of how Logan could treat her glimmered through my mind.
No. I took a full breath then and let it out. I was horribly nervous, but I wouldn't freak out before the entire pack. It was a waste of time to keep thinking about "what ifs." I just needed to get the lady back before anything happened to her.
"Alphas, I don't get it." A voice transcended the mumbling crowd.
I signaled the person speaking: Rodriguez, one of the watchmen who had been stationed at the city gate today. Everybody went calm and separated as the man advanced toward the first row.
"What is it, my friend?" Fletcher gave him a warm smile.
I could see that Fletcher was also anxious, like I was. I saw it in the way he squirmed with his fingers and ventured from one foot to another. Fletcher resembled an open book; unlike me, who had an ideal emotionless expression and never betrayed my thoughts. Well, at least not until somebody irritated me—then, I'd allow the situation to spin out of control.
Rodriguez kept talking, looking intently at Fletcher and me.
"Both of you believe we should put our lives in danger for a lady you met less than twenty-four hours ago? You're saying that we ought to go after Port Alvarez?" Rodriguez asked frantically.
"Yes, is that too hard for us?" We both chorused, uncertain of Rodriguez's motive. For us, it was going to be a walk in the park no matter what Logan might have in store for us, but for the rest of the people, it was a daredevil mission.
"We all know Port Alvarez is the seat of Logan's domain, a secure stronghold with the advanced weaponry factory close to it? Why? What's so special about that lady that we ought to put our lives in extreme danger for her?"
Once more, the group mumbled, certain individuals objecting to Rodriguez's concerns, yet he had a point. It was clear that Rodriguez wouldn't join us on this rescue mission. Despite the fact that we all knew how Logan would treat her.
The wolf inside me stepped on its rear legs and snarled. My blood bubbled at the idea that somebody wouldn't help us out.
My eyes turned red, and I stepped forward, grabbing Rodriguez by the neck and raising him above the ground. With my other arm, I smacked him right on the head. Then, I lifted my hand once more.
Fletcher restrained me before I could land one more punch on the watchman.